Dead For Love

Info

Dead For Love is the title of a Libertines track, released on their third album in September 2015.

The song was not heard by fans, prior to its official release.

First NME review of the song:
"The only track to make it past the five-minute mark. ‘Dead For Love’ starts with a bit of film noir piano and a cinema reel flickering. Melody-wise, it’s got a similar vibe to Pete’s 2009 solo single ‘Last Of The English Roses’ in the (Pete-sung) verses, while the choruses (Carl) are more pensive. Full-band backing vocals give us a new angle to the Libs as a four-piece vocally, while lyrically it’s about a murder mystery - Play For Today stylee – and there’s even a touch of Mike Leigh or Walter Greenwood about its bluntness (two well-favoured Libs writers). “The only rule is stay alive / Just keep breathing, you’ll be fine,” is Pete’s opening couplet, and from there we get colder until Carl screams the middle eight raw (“And in the shadows you will not talk / And there you'll stay until you fall”). Things fade out after two final choruses and we’re left with the cinema reel and old piano again, except this time Carl and Pete are quoting (or is it misquoting?) Russian poetry on different audio channels. Pete’s on the left, reading ‘From The First Notebook [Fragment]’ by Anna Akhmatova, while Carl’s on the right reciting ‘Insomnia’ by Marina Tsvetaeva. The final bit we hear from them? Pete’s cackling while Carl speaks Marina: “Night has set ablaze the most radiant countenance / And dark night renders / But one part of us dark”. A dramatic end, all being said."

Appearing on

Anthems for Doomed Youth

The Libertines

Album

2015-09-11

Lyrics

The only rule to stay alive
Just keep breathing you’ll be fine
You know she’s pulling up outside
The car lights crawl across the curtain
So put the gun back on the wall
Take the suitcase from the wardrobe
There’s a dead man on the floor
He’s not going anywhere
You’re moving to the door
And everything he ever did
He only ever did for love
And everything he ever said
Was only ever said for love
And now, now he lies dead,
He’s dead for love
His mind’s at ease, he sleeps in peace
Your reflection in her eyes
You just don’t recognise
And soon you’ll realise
This guy’s not going anywhere
Now he’s done with you once more
Race with the shadows to the door
A guy like this needs to be sure
No one was there was there when the devil rode out before
And everything he ever did
He only ever did for love
And everything he ever said
Was only ever said for love
And now, now he lies dead,
Oh he’s dead for love
His mind’s at ease, he sleeps in peace
In English shadows you will walk tall
And there you’ll stay until you fall
And when the final hour arrives
It’s only lovers left alive
Wretched souls and gangsters’ molls
Beyond the valley of the dolls
The story they will never tell
Because their lips are sealed
And everything you ever did
You only ever did for love
And everything you ever said
You only ever said for love
And now, now he lies dead,
Oh he’s dead for love
Your mind’s at ease, you sleep in peace
And everything you ever did
You only ever did for love
And everything you ever said
You only ever said for love
And now, now he lies dead,
Oh he’s dead for love
Your mind’s at ease, you sleep in peace

Extrainfo

Poems read by Pete & Carl at the end of the song (by Anna Akhmatova & Marina Tsvetaeva)

Carl:
After a sleepless night the body weakens.
It grows dear, not one’s own, it’s nobody’s.
Sluggish, the vein still retain in ache of arrows,
One smiles to all with a seraph’s ease.

After a sleepless night the hands weaken.
Deeply indifferent are both friend and enemy.
Each casual sound contains an entire rainbow.
And the frost smells of Florence suddenly.

Lips glow softly, the shadow’s more golden
Under sunken eyes. Night has set ablaze
This most radiance countenance – and dark night renders
But one part of us dark – the eyes.


Pete:
At night the dead, mute icons hear
Moans of resistance… it’s true.
I’d take my desires elsewhere
Were it not for the serpent’s eyes.

In the morning I’m compliant again,
I melt like a slender candle,
Then from my bare shoulder
A black strap slides.